This gets me thinking about who takes those jobs in Colorado resort communities (Vail Valley, Aspen/Pitkin County, etc) where the pay looks well on paper, but it's nowhere near enough to account for the astronomical cost of housing. I asked someone about this at an APA Colorado state conference years ago, and was told that it was expected applicants would be those who were recent college graduates with very wealthy parents.

I just saw an article that said the average house price in Aspen was over 2 million dollars. It would be nice if planning jobs paid a set % of the local housing price. If your average house was $200,000 you would make $50,000. If it is $2,000,000 you would make $500,000!!

I just saw an opening in a tiny resort community near my parents' house that start at $52,000. You would be inspecting septic systems too but that's a really good salary!

I just saw an article that said the average house price in Aspen was over 2 million dollars. It would be nice if planning jobs paid a set % of the local housing price. If your average house was $200,000 you would make $50,000. If it is $2,000,000 you would make $500,000!!

I just saw an opening in a tiny resort community near my parents' house that start at $52,000. You would be inspecting septic systems too but that's a really good salary!

Aspen, Crested Butte, Mountain Village all have this problem. The people who work there can't afford to live there. That is why they all drive a pretty decent amount to get there and get a great benefit package to make it livable.

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The salary survey is always an interesting piece to use as support as it really isn't very accurate. If you looked at it from a purely statistical perspective it is worthless. They have too many variables and a MUCH too small sample size.

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams

Aspen, Crested Butte, Mountain Village all have this problem. The people who work there can't afford to live there. That is why they all drive a pretty decent amount to get there and get a great benefit package to make it livable.

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The salary survey is always an interesting piece to use as support as it really isn't very accurate. If you looked at it from a purely statistical perspective it is worthless. They have too many variables and a MUCH too small sample size.

The average home price may be $2 mill but if your single or DINKS and perhaps willing to have a roommate its doable.

Now, for something that starts at 42G's for a CP-II and requires a Master's in a 115,000-person suburb where their own website states - "County Seat to Johnson County, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States"......

....have things really gotten THAT bad economically?? That you can pay THAT little and require THAT much and still get suckers....errrrr.....I meant, "applicants" for the position??

If you saw the posting that I saw, then it's kind of a strange position. It sounds like they want someone who is both a clerk to the boards AND a department director, all for $50k. They also want an AICP.

And this is the only full time gig listed for the entire state. Stuff like this makes me question whether or not this is even a legit profession these days.

I made $20,800/yr at my last job. After two years, I got them to give me a raise up to $27,000 when they could tell I was ready to quit. They never seemed to have made the connection that I won over $1 million worth of grants for them and maybe I was worth a little more than $13/hr.

I made $20,800/yr at my last job. After two years, I got them to give me a raise up to $27,000 when they could tell I was ready to quit. They never seemed to have made the connection that I won over $1 million worth of grants for them and maybe I was worth a little more than $13/hr.

I finally quit in Feb. and went to the private sector.

Ouch. Was it for a planner 1 position, or planning assistant? I assume that was considered full time?

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams

I was full time and worked under the Borough Enginner. I did everything associated with the Planning Commission, reviewed every Subdivision and Land Development Plan, met with developers, did all the GIS mapping, wrote and tracked our grants, filled out Highway Occupany Permit applications for municipal utility work on state roads, compiled construction specs, attended every Council meeting (unpaid), organized and ran our 14 hour long 4th of July celebration, sorted and counted parking meter money...

It was when they asked me to update our Comprehensive Plan from 1965 for $10.50/hour that I finally snapped.

The qualifications for the position require the successful applicant to possess a Master’s OR Bachelor’s degree in Urban/Regional Planning or related field. Previous professional experience and/or experience with CDBG, MoDOT, EDA, Comprehensive Planning, Transportation Planning, or Community Development will warrant special consideration.

HSTCC offers competitive salary and excellent benefits. The anticipated salary for this position ranges from $25,000 to $35,000 based on experience, education, communication skills, and relative credentials. HSTCC provides health insurance benefits.